This was a good and timely break from all the food events I had attended in the same week. Thanks to Franc, my mom, friend and I got the chance to lace up our running shoes once again for the Ensure Acti M² Mind and Body Challenge 2014 last Saturday at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The run was a success, with Ensure in partnership with FOX International Channels and BGC. It was a combination of a fun run and some interesting fun challenges in one great event.

I knew I should have gone to bed earlier the night before the run to sleep the optimum hours and fuel my body with energy. But I couldn’t do that because I came from the KTG Mooncake Festival + Dice Game and reached home nearly at 10PM. A bit of worry also crept in, since I didn’t prepare intentionally and specifically for the 3k run. I couldn’t just cram physically! Anyway, I just prayed that my daily stretches and workouts would be enough not to shock and stress my body so much during the event.

My mom and I woke up at 4AM and left home at 5AM. An hour later, we were at the venue and received our race kits from Franc. Immediately, we changed outfits and got ready. Ensure booth attendants welcomed us to engage and try the Word Search, Labyrinth, Guess-timate and the Physical Strength Challenge (with free tasting of the Ensure Acti M² milk.

The Ensure Acti M² is formulated to supplement the diet. It is free of gluten and is suitable for individuals with lactose sensitivity. It’s great for adult nutrition and I love the taste of vanilla-flavored milk. 🙂

To warm up, we joined other participants in a short-minute exercise led by two dance leaders on the stage. And before we realized it, the run had started with no break in between. It was a sterling day, with good temperature and a nice breeze (but more sun than I expected at 6:45AM).

The 3k Ensure Run Route

The first 500 meters were a cinch. We stopped by a water station, drank one cup of cold water and continued running without feeling pressured. I ran at my own pace but stopped every so often to wait for my mom behind. While walking briskly to let her catch up, I admired the clean views in BGC. Not long after, we came across inflatables and tried one of them. It was crazy fun! I was smiling all the way since it was my first time to go through the inflatable obstacle as an adult.

pic credit: francramon.com

Also part of the mind challenge was the Spot the Differences Challenge. Runners were to count the differences between two Ensure posters and decide which path to take on. We got the correct answer so we did not need to swing on the monkey bars. The final obstacle was the labyrinth. We worked our way through it easily and were just so darn excited upon seeing the finish line ahead.

So this was where it ended…and started.

All finishers received a loot bag from Ensure. Yay! 😀

Wrap Up

The Ensure Acti M² Mind and Body Challenge was not hard; it was accessible to people of varying fitness levels. One didn’t necessarily have to be a pro runner or even particularly fit to successfully complete the course. I felt so happy and proud of my mom because she made it! *cheers* The voice inside her head didn’t give up easily. She allowed her mind to be right until her body realized it was wrong.

In the end, she boasted that she’s stronger than Mommy Osie of The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition Doubles. Huh? Mommy Osie finished 21k and that’s not actually comparable to what we achieved in this run. Here’s me hoping we’ll get to that also next time! 😀

To those who haven’t tried joining a fun run: Know that there’s nothing to be afraid of. Almost all challengers sprinted until they could run, run until they could only jog, and jogged until they could only walk. The biggest hurdle is most probably overcoming the fear of the unknown and participating in a fresh, unique event where the outcome is uncertain and the challenges are not described in detail prior to the event. Well, participating is the only way to find out. 🙂

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72 Responses

Seems like a lot of fun, and congratz for completing! This is probably something i’d like to try to do myself (i’m quite horrible at running fast, but i can run slowly for a pretty long time, or i should say jog *LOL*), if only Indonesia has these kind of events-with the effort to make it more interesting like this!

I wish I could do something like this with my mom. She really needs the exercise and I never joined an event like this. I’m just starting to run and I’d love to join a challenge/marathon in the future.

Thanks, Dolly. Running is not my forte either but I grab the chance whenever I can. when you see the finish line approaching, no matter how tired you feel, somehow you dig down deep and give it everything you’ve got left. It’s the most fun you’ll ever have running. 😀

Food and Lifestyle Blogger in Manila

Roch Santos-Sioco is behind the blog Rochkirstin | com. Based in Manila, Philippines, she's a digital marketing strategist by day (and sometimes by night, let's get real) and a blogger with a large appetite for food & travel. She always aims to create content that's meaningful and enjoyable, whether it's a full-length blog post or a 140-character tweet.

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